Christmas Bread Pudding

In my last post, I lamented a holiday on the road where folks beyond the first stop on a four day road trip would not receive the pleasure of an elaborate Ratskellar holiday dessert. But luckily for the folks at the first stop, there was a fancy dessert that traveled. And it traveled well.

No, it wasn’t a loaf of bread! But it did start with some homemade portuguese sweet bread made in my Mini Zo with a recipe from King Arthur Flour, which is an excellent brioche stand in. Any guesses as to what it was? If you’re thinking bread pudding (and you should be, since it’s the title of the post!) you are right on.

I have a confession to make–I had never made bread pudding before I attempted it for Christmas dessert. I know it’s one of the baking staples that every true baker should be able to whip up with her eyes closed, but the opportunity to make one had never presented itself, and I didn’t think I was a fan of bread pudding, since I had only ever had supper eggy and gooey restaurant bread puddings. But when I needed a dessert that could easily travel to Slower Lower, bread pudding had a certain appeal. I could bake it in advance, in a casserole with a lid (key!), and then reheat it before serving. Throw is the fact that the recipe had fruit cooked in brandy and a sour lemon sauce for topping, and I was SOLD!

The recipe I settled on was from Martha’s Holiday Sweets Magazine, which has been a favorite of mine this holiday season. Like most Martha recipes, the first step should be set aside more time than you ever think you could need, and then prepare to dirty every bowl in your kitchen. But the reaction to this dessert at Christmas dinner made it all worthwhile–it provided the perfect, traditional end to a fantastic holiday meal.

Kris Kringle Bread Pudding
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Holiday Sweets

As I’ve mentioned, this recipe is involved, but the results are fantastic. If you’re going to make this, I recommend making the sour lemon sauce a few days before you make the bread pudding, since it will last up to two weeks in the fridge, and will simplify your process the day of the pudding assembly. The pudding keeps wonderfully in the fridge for a few days, and then you can rewarm it in a 350 degree oven right before you serve it. And it really does provide a bit of holiday magic.

Sour Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• Zest of 2 lemons, plus 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Bring sugar, cornstarch, salt, and warm water to a boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes more.

Stir in butter and lemon zest and juice. Cook, whisking, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium bowl to cool completely before putting into jars. Sauce can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks. Spoon sauce over bread pudding before serving.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, softened, for bowls and parchment paper
• 3/4 cup vanilla sugar or granulated sugar, plus more for bowls and sprinkling
• 1 1/3 cups Armagnac or other good-quality brandy
• 7 ounces assorted dried fruits, such as peaches, apricots, and pears
• 7 ounces pitted prunes
• 5 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise; seeds scraped to loosen
• Zest of 1 orange
• 12 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 large loaves day-old brioche (1 pound each), cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes (18 cups)
• Boiling water, for roasting pan

Directions:

Coat two large covered casseroles with butter, and sprinkle with sugar, tapping out excess; set aside. Bring brandy and dried fruits to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fruits have softened and absorbed the brandy, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer fruits to a work surface and coarsely chop; set aside.

Bring cream, half-and-half, sugar, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans and seeds, and orange zest to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Put egg yolks into a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle half the hot cream mixture into the yolks. Pour yolk mixture into saucepan with remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping sides of pan, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Pour through a large sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. If your egg mixture overcooks and solids start to form, use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend the mixture. This will pulverize the solids back into your custard.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put bread into a large bowl. Add soaked fruit, reserving 1/2 cup. Pour in custard; toss to combine. Divide bread mixture between prepared casseroles. Top each with half the reserved fruit. Sprinkle with sugar. Let stand until bread is saturated, about 20 minutes.

Set bowls in a large deep roasting pan. Brush two pieces of parchment paper with butter; place, butter side down, over bowls. Tightly cover with foil. Transfer pan to oven; add enough boiling water to come 3 inches up sides of bowls. This took up almost my entire oven, but it still worked great. Bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake until set and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.

Serve warm with lemon sauce. Puddings can be refrigerated up to 3 days; let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. If desired, reheat in a 350 degree oven.

Such a perfect Christmas dessert–especially when photographed with my Christmas present from Noel, a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash! No more yellow photos for me!

And even better for Boxing Day breakfast. Dessert for brekkie is totally okay–it’s the holidays, after all!

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